Wednesday, November 24, 2010

OK. So its a Terminator Thanksgiving! Continuing with the Terminator Theme that has run through my last two posts, here is an update on the Second Squad for my Logan's Hunters (Wolfwing) Army.

One thing I intend to do with the army is to demarcate different squads through the use of different accent colors. In the FIRST SQUAD, the primary accent color was red. For the second squad, the primary accent color was yellow. I used the Foundation paints Mecharite Red and Iyanden Yellow, respectively.

I have also decided to wait until all the squads are done and then do all the bases at the same time. I find that (a) gives me more of a sense of accomplishment (churning out squads faster, even if the base is not done), and (b) makes basing across all the models more coherent.

Squad 2 is pretty self-sufficient in just about any role. It features two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power weapon/frost weapon, two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power fist, and one Wolf Guard with cyclone missile launcher, storm bolter, and chainfist. This unit can lay down some serious small arms anti-infantry fire, can hunt tanks at range, butcher infantry in close combat, and even rip tanks a new (deleted by the Inquisition) when they assault armor.

This storm bolter/power weapon WG model is from the Space Hulk set. For this one, the primary accent color is used on the cape.

Here we have Mr. Storm Bolter/Power Weapon Number 2 (hmmm.... I may have to come up with real names for these guys someday).

Unfortunately, this Assault on Black Reach model did not lend itself well to using the Iyanden Yellow accent. I plan to do some somewhere on him, just need to figure out where. Maybe a gauntlet (or both). Hmmmm.....

Ahhh... Another of the wonderful Space Hulk terminators. Here, the primary accent is the power fist.

To give the model a little pop of color, I painted the Tyranid carcass purple and dry-brushed it with a lavender.

Next up is a terminator that has used mostly Wolf Guard bits, although I believe the storm bolter arm is from an Assault on Black Reach model.

Again, the primary accent color here is on the powerfist.

Last, but certainly not least, is Mr. Rockets. As a side note, I've found that more often than not, if you say during a game that you're shooting your "missile launcher," that it will miss. After all, "miss" is the root of "MISSile launcher."

The primary accent color is on the chainfist as well as the trim of the CML. Although you can't see it, I did not do the whole CML in yellow, just the "band" that wraps around the front of it.

So there we have it. Squad Number 2 is (almost) complete.

I've also (mostly) completed the two characters for the army - Logan Grimnar and Njal Stormcaller. However, that will be for a future post (or two).

Until then, make sure the safety switch on your chainfist is ON - I'd hate for anyone to take off a nose while digging into some delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Last post, I dealt with the traditional terminator army, the old school one if you will - Deathwing. Today, I'll expand our terminator horizons by discussing the use of the Space Wolf codex to field an all-terminator army and also discuss the use of "Counts As" for fielding terminator armies that aren't Dark Angels or Space Wolves.

First, lets cover the alternative to Deathwing - that which the interwebs has dubbed "Wolfwing."

Prior to the current Space Wolf codex, Codex:Dark Angels was the ONLY way to legally field an all terminator army outside of games of Apocalypse. But the current Codex:Space Wolves came with one interesting chain reaction.

Logan Grimnar allows Wolf Guard as Troops. Wolf Guard may be clad in Terminator Armor (TDA). Therefore, one could field Logan + Terminators (as Troops) for a legal all-terminator force that differs from their Deathwing counterpart.

"How are the two Terminator Armies different?" you ask? Well, if you're not familiar with the details of both Codex:Dark Angels and Codex:Space Wolves, let me give you the nutshell version.

Standard "Ultramarine" armies can field 2 types of terminator squads, one with guns, and one with close combat weapons.

Deathwing Terminators collapse these two into a single terminator squad - one in which you can field terminators with guns or terminators with close combat weapons, but mixing-and-matching the two types within each squad. In the end, though, each individual terminator is either like an Ultramarine Tactical Terminator or an Ultramarine Assault Terminator.

The Space Wolf codex takes this "mix-and-match" idea one step further, allowing a Wolf Guard to essentially equip each arm as he sees fit. So instead of being a "Tactical Terminator" with a Storm Bolter/Heavy Weapon and a Power Weapon-Fist-Chainfist OR an "Assault Terminator" with twin Lightning Claws or Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, the Wolf Guard in TDA can equip each arm individually to combine Tactical AND Assault roles into a single model. Storm Bolter and a single Lightning Claw? No problem. Power Weapon and a Storm Shield? No problem. Thunder Hammer and a Combi-Melta? NO PROBLEM! It should be noted, and will be touched upon in more detail below, that this "ultra mix-and-match" style of equipping terminators is not new; it is how Chaos Space Marine Terminators have equipped themselves for a while now.

In essence, with one fell swoop of the Codex:Space Wolves hitting the shelves, the Terminator Community was in an upheaval. Do you scoff at the "new, shiny" and play Deathwing because you always have, and always will? Or are you tired of Cyclone Missile Launchers that only shoot one missile and Storm Shields that provide a 4+ invulnerable save in close combat only and break from the ranks of the old school to embrace the new generation?

Seriously. The release of the Space Wolves codex really lit some flames under hardcore terminator players, with folks arguing and defending both options.

DEZARTFOX,RON (both featured in the previous DFIR Terminator post), and RUNTMCRORY (of The Military of Ultramar blog) also discussed their views on the subject, comparing and contrasting the two, and ultimately sticking with the Deathwing.

{insert awkward segue here}

The release of Codex:Space Wolves also fostered the expansion of another element of Terminator Armies.

COUNTS AS

Counts As Terminator armies weren't new per se; however, I've seen a huge upswing in the number of Counts As Terminator armies since the release of Codex:Space Wolves.

Not surprisingly, given that there are two ways to field an all-terminator army, there are two general trends in the Counts As Terminator army choices.

There are those who follow the traditional Deathwing template, such as RuntMcRory at The Military Of Ultramar. Runt is an Ultramarines player. Rightfully so, he drew the conclusion that at some times, the Ultramarines would be faced with a challenge that only a Terminator Force could solve. So Runt has added enough Terminators, Dreadnoughts, and Land Raiders to his Ultramarine army that he can field them by themselves as a Counts As Deathwing army.

And I think that Runt's use of the Deathwing Template is very appropriate to depict an Ultramarine force consisting solely of Terminators and Terminator Support.

Another application of the Counts As Terminator army is to field an all-terminator Chaos Space Marine force.

Ron at FTW was one of the first I saw do this with his (now famous, and now sold to someone else) LUSTWING.

The Lustwing is a Slaaneshi-themed all Terminator Counts As Deathwing force. I guess it goes without saying that the Lustwing uses the Deathwing template (but I better say it nonetheless, just in case you haven't had your coffee/Red Bull yet).

The army is beautifully converted and painted. It definitely gives off a Slaanesh vibe, even if the "rules" driving it are imperial.

Another Chaos-themed Counts As Terminator army, and another stunning example of high-quality conversion and painting work, is THE GOREWING.

Unlike Ron's Slaaneshi-themed Counts As Deathwing Lustwing force, Elazar The Glorified used the Space Wolves codex to formulate The Gorewing.

Given that the standard Chaos Space Marine Terminator is similar in its options as a Space Wolf Wolf Guard in TDA, the use of the Space Wolf template really fits with this army, just as much as RuntMcRory's use of the Deathwing template really fits his Ultramarine terminator army.

For example, Elazar's use of "Lone Wolves" with "Fenrisian Wolves" (Fleshhounds) puts a little icing onto the Gorewing cake, IMO.

So there you have it. Deathwing, Wolfwing, and a variety of Counts As Terminator armies.

So, where do I stand in all of this?

I put one foot into each of the camps. I played Deathwing from way back. Lets just say that my first Deathwing army was all metal. Ron's Lustwing really inspired me visually, and then the splash release of the Doombringer Annihilation Force bundle by GW to support Apocalypse Reload caused me to sell the all-metal Deathwing force and replace it with a Counts As Deathwing Chaos force (Flawless Host color scheme, kind of - Homage to Ron!).

But over time, I became more and more dismayed by the neat toys other Space Marine armies got that my Deathwing didn't have.

Master of the Deathwing does NOT have a 4+ invulnerable save Iron Halo? Seriously? You're trying to tell me that the Master of the FIRST COMPANY of the Dark Angels doesn't have what his nine other counterparts have?

Cyclone Missile Launchers with one shot. Meh.

Sub-standard Storm Shields. Meh, again.

No Land Raider Redeemer. Meh, again.

So, as my WOLFWING posts of late have shown, I have chosen to build up a Space Wolves Terminator force now. There is definitely a place in my heart and soul for my first ever 40k army, the Dark Angels. But I have divested myself of all those models, and patiently await the day when a new Codex:Dark Angels comes to life. I suspect that another True Deathwing force is in my future, once we see that release.

Well, I guess that is about it for today. Until next time, keep your Crux Terminatus polished, and have a Happy Thanksgiving (if you live in the U.S., that is).

Friday, November 19, 2010

Mine (in general) is that of the mighty Terminator. I love them all. I love the clean and crisp lines Imperial Terminators exhibit. I love the spiky-goth-emo Chaos variant. And above all, I REALLY love the various Terminator Characters AND the Forgeworld Terminators.

But maybe you already were aware that I absolutely love Terminators, given my handful of posts regarding my Wolfwing project.

So today's post is simply going to compile several of the many Terminator resources I frequent on the internet. These aren't all my resources. And there's resources I used to visit frequently but are now dead (R.I.P. Gods of War). No, what I'm sharing here today is the more extensive Terminator (some even "Terminator-Centric") websites that try to deal with the whole package - painting, converting, playing, tactics, rules, galleries, and even background/history.

First up is one site that I have LONG kept an eye on, and returned to frequently to be inspired by lists and paint schemes.

Isiah's Dark Fortress is a Dark Angels resource, with a heavy hand in the Deathwing Terminator world. The site has a ton of resources, but what I like best is the ORATORIUM, which compiles numerous images of painted Dark Angels forces and models.

The most recent addition to the Oratorium is RAZIEL. Raziel is a heavily converted Deathwing Commander sculpted by Scibor. Absolutely amazing. What has two thumbs and is jealous? THIS GUY (me).

If you're a fan of Imperial Terminators, I highly recommend trolling around the Dark Fortress' Oratorium checking out all the beautiful pictures of Deathwing Strikeforces.

Next up is an awesome site that has TONS of history on Terminators. Not the "fluff" type history, but the real history of Terminator Models produced through the ages.

Dezartfox has compiled The Terminator Tomb that shows some really really obscure terminator model productions that I have no idea where he even got the images from. Seriously, you probably don't want to lick some of those models, I suspect they're old enough to really be made out of lead. The Tomb also features wargear as well as Terminator tactics.

Dezartfox also has painted several Deathwing forces for himself, as well as commission jobs. He's included one awesome twist on painting - glowing green light effects. What has two thumbs and is jealous... yeah, you get the picture. Speaking of which, here's a picture of one of Dezartfox's Belial models, complete with glowing green effect. (side note: Necron players, you should incorporate said green glowing light effect in your 'Cron forces)

To wrap up the Deathwing resources, I'll point you in the direction of FROM THE WARP.

Ron has done amazing things with his FTW site. Primarily, Ron has collated over 600 blogs into his FTW Blogger roll. In fact, DFIR is one of the multitude of FTW blogs. The other thing Ron does is cover TONS of tutorials on modeling and painting. Numerous tricks and tips for conversions, and painting methods, and all sorts of things. The best thing is, while his posts feature something specific he's working on, the tips and tactics he's discussing cross-cut any army and even any game system.

"But Wait! What About The Terminators?!?" you're saying.

Right.

Ron is not only a premiere modeler, he also is a Deathwing player. Ron has moved outside the box to create a very stunning-looking Deathwing army, that features a very quick and easy paint scheme that really portrays a "battle hardened and in-the-thick-of-it" look. In other words, Deathwing after weeks of scouring a Space Hulk, not Deathwing marching across the parade grounds in gleaming white/bone armor.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

This coming Saturday will mark the "Two Weeks Until Toys For Tots Charity Tournament" milestone. So today, I have some BIG updates to the event. The two big updates are:

PRIZE SUPPORT

and

MISSIONS

But to keep ALL of the info in one place, I am re-posting the earlier details here along with the newly-added details.

Another interesting twist to the subject, though, is that Sci-Fi Genre in Durham is hosting a 40k tournament the same day. Although they are not hosting a Toys for Tots event per se, I have sent an interloper to attend their event, and bring back toys that some of the gamers there are donating to the cause. Tis the season of giving, and I'm glad to hear that folks beyond the event I'm organizing are contributing! THANKS!

Onto the finer details.

TOYS FOR TOTS WARHAMMER 40,000 CHARITY TOURNAMENT

Saturday, December 4, 2010

All Fun & Games. Apex, NC

Call All Fun & Games to RSVP your attendance to the event. You do not have to RSVP, but any walk-ins will be allowed to participate on a first-come/first-served basis after all the RSVP folks. Attendee limit is currently at 18 with the option to increase to a max of 24 players.

Check-in begins at 10:15 a.m. day of event

Games begin at 11 a.m.

Entry fee is "new in package" toy donation(s) to be given to Toys for Tots Foundation (benefiting the Raleigh Chapter http://raleigh-nc.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/default.asp). "Dig Deep" and give as much as you can - many children in the area wouldn't get a holiday gift if it wasn't for the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program!**SPECIAL OFFER FROM ALL FUN & GAMES: All Fun & Games will provide a 15% discount on any games, puzzles, etc. purchased for donation; there will also be a 10% discount for purchases for yourself. Just inform the store staff at checkout which items you are donating to receive the special discount on them.

Army lists are 1750 points

3 Rounds

2:15 time allotted per round

Random pairings in Round 1; Swiss-style pairings in Rounds 2 and 3

Missions will have primary, secondary, and tertiary objectives (with the Primary being means of determining winner and Secondary and Tertiary objectives acting as "tie breakers" if need be - see details below)

Crown "Best Overall," "Best General," and "Best Sportsman" winners

PRIZE SUPPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE. Over $100 in prize support will be offered throughout the day's event. Prizes will include Best Overall, Best General, and Best Sportsman. Other prizes will also be offered during individual rounds, and as the TO sees fit (in other words, *how* prizes other than "Best X" will be awarded is still To Be Determined).

Primary.Determines the winner of the game.If someone wins on the Primary Objective, you can stop here; otherwise, refer to Secondary.

Secondary.First tie-breaker.If the primary objective is tied, utilize the Secondary Objective to determine a winner.If the primary objective is tied and the secondary objective produces a winner, you can stop here; otherwise, refer to Tertiary.

Tertiary.Second tie-breaker.If the primary AND secondary objectives are tied, utilize the Tertiary Objective to determine a winner.Since the Tertiary Objective is Victory Points for all missions, simply calculate VPs (pg. 108 of rulebook) and any player with even 0.5 more VPs than opponent wins.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Its fall. The weather here in the Southeast U.S. is gorgeous. So how do I spend my time in this epic portion of the year? Simple. I stay indoors and build models.

Huh?

Not really, I get outside a lot during this time of year.

But the truth is, I spend many of my fall (and spring) evenings building stuff for 40k, and priming it during the nicer days. Around these parts, its too cold in the winter and too hot/humid in the summer to get good priming done. So I tend to mass build and prime during the nice weather - effectively building myself a stock of stuff to paint during the not-so-pretty months of the year.

So it occurred to me the other evening, as I was building my latest Nurgle Sorcerer/Lord in Terminator Armor (post forthcoming sooner than later), that I wonder how many folks are tuned into the awesomeness that is Plastic Weld.

You've never heard of it? Man, have you been missing out.

At the top of this post, you see two images, one of the tried and true-blue model cement (glue), and one of some weird bottle of "Pro Weld." WTF is that, you are probably saying to yourself.

Simple. Model glues, like the Testors product shown above, are simple adhesive products. They take Part A and Part B and put a bonding agent between them, so they stick together.

But Plastic Weld, like the Ambroid product (that I use) pictured above, is different. Plastic welders dissolve and liquefy the surface of the plastic items, which you stick together, and then when it dries (very quickly, I might add), the two parts are not so much bonded together, but they are literally fused together into a single object.

Let me pretend to do some math and show you what a "built equation" might look like. A and B are the two parts to be put together.

Plastic Cement. A + Glue + B = AglueBPlastic Weld. A + Weld + B = AB

Not only do I use weld to bond separate pieces together, but I have also used it in a few other ways on plastic models.

Gap Filler. If you're putting two pieces together, and there is a tiny gap between the two, you can simply fill it with weld liquid, and the gap will fill itself up. Granted, the gap cannot be to large. But I noticed this application of the product when I was putting together a bunch of Cities of Death buildings. A few of the CoD building panels I had shaved the mold lines off a little too aggressively, so when put together, there was a thin gap along some portions of the panels. I spread a little more weld along these sections - the water-like consistency of the weld means it will wick into any space - and voila, the gaps disappeared.

Surface Smoother. In a few of my projects, I've had to scrape away some detail. A good example was having to remove all the Blood Angels icons (blood drops and chalices) from the Space Hulk Terminators I purchased for my Wolfwing Project. Although I did a decent job of doing this, in some instances, the surface I left behind showed some angles or rounded areas that exhibited flat facets. I found out that putting a thin coat of weld on the surface, waiting a moment or two, and then putting a thicker drop on it did a good job of smoothing-out those noticeable imperfections to make them smoother, if not "perfectly smooth."

Before you start to think that I *LOVE* Plastic Weld, and I want to marry plastic weld (oops, too late), let me caution you with some things that plastic weld WILL NOT do.

It doesn't work on metal.

It doesn't work on resin.

Super-glue is still the product to accomplish bonding these types of materials (or these types of materials to plastics).

It doesn't fill large gaps.

Green stuff (kneadatite), milliput, or some other modeling/sculpting product are your best answers for accomplishing larger gap filling.

In conclusion, plastic weld isn't the end-all, be-all of the model adhesive world. BUT, it IS the bee's knees when it comes to bonding plastic-on-plastic. There simply is no reason to use "plastic glue" as long as companies like Ambroid continue to produce and sell plastic welders. If anything, the worst problem for plastic welds is that your average hobby/game store doesn't carry it. You may have to seek out specialty shops, like model train stores; or you may have to go ONLINE AND ORDER IT. The product lasts a VERY long time. I've built entire armies, several at that, and am currently on my third bottle of Ambroid Pro Weld - having been using the stuff since 2006. That's three bottles over the course of 4 1/2 years!

There's a lot of really good blogs out there. There's some great ones too. And a few are even excellent. But does DFIR really need to be in that latter category? Why can't "good" with the occasional splash of "great" be sufficient?

So today, I start my 12-step program to rid myself of thoughts of perfectionism. {Hell, those thoughts don't permeate any other part of my life, so why should they bring down my blogging?} My new goal is to post at least 3 times a week to this blog. Nothing ultra fancy, or at least not all the time. Nothing supremely earth-shattering. I'll start my 12-step program with "baby steps." Simple posts that range from the good to more in-depth posts that border on greatness.